José Gervasio Artigas  

Portrait of José Artigas, painted in 1884 by noted Uruguayan painter Juan Manuel Blanes (courtesy of www.wikipedia.org).

The flag used by Artigas's army during his military campaigns, it was also used as the flag for his federation of provinces. The color scheme is meant to evoke the US flag, as that nation's system of government was the inspiration for Artigas's confederation(courtesy of www.wikipedia.org).

General José Gervasio Artigas is considered to be the father of Uruguayan independence. He led an original uprising against the Spanish colonial government beginning in 1811, obtaining the surrender of the colonial authorities and, for a time, creating an independent federalist territory modeled on the United States of America, including Uruguay and several other territories in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. A conflict between this federation and the newly independent Buenos Aires, former seat of the viceroyalty, resulted in another war that only ended when the Portuguese army, at the behest of Buenos Aires leaders, entered Artigas’s territory from Brazil and created an untenable two-front campaign that resulted in his surrender in 1820 and the partition of the federation, with Uruguay falling under Portuguese control and the rest of the provinces helping to form the new nation of Argentina. Artigas sought refuge in Paraguay, where he would remain until his death in 1850. Uruguay eventually fought yet another war of independence from the Empire of Brazil (emancipated from Portugal in 1822) and became a sovereign nation in 1830, thanks in large part to Artigas’s original effort and the military campaigns of his former lieutenants. Despite several invitations from the new Uruguayan government, Artigas never again set foot on Uruguayan soil, embittered by his defeat and the political reality in Argentina and Uruguay, which he saw as a betrayal of the principles of self-rule and federalism that he thought were the only way to create a just and progressive system of government for the region.

This guide identifies the most valuable reference works for library users who need information on José Artigas. Because Uruguayan history is not a terribly popular topic in the US, information can be difficult to find, and reference sources can often provide incomplete sets of information. For this reason, the guide strives to provide complementary avenues for research, even if this results in some overlap. For example, several different bibliographical sources are identified; there are some works that will be identified by all or most of them, but each does point to several works that are unique to that particular resource.

The information in this guide is divided into three main tabs:

• Biographical Information: This tab provides summary information that is useful in answering ready reference questions, or introducing a user to this subject with a basic overview of the basic facts of Artigas’s life.
•  In-Depth Study: This tab provides information that is better suited to more complex research on the subject. Resources identified here will typically yield more insight and analysis and less fact-based sources.
• Specialized Resources: This tab contains resources that fill particular information niches: there is a source for famous quotations, another one for teachers and/or parents looking for material appropriate for younger audiences, and additional tips to make the user’s search process more efficient.